"IT'S NOT POLICY" AND OTHER WAYS TO ENSURE CUSTOMER DISSERVICE!

In the last couple of weeks I have been disappointed by the continued lack of understanding by companies that their "policies" are a disservice to their clients and I began to wonder "who's watching the shop?"

Usually I don't name names, but my recent "customer disservice" encounters beg for these businesses to be hauled out and publicly flogged for stupidity. Both are in highly competitive markets and if they don't change their approaches, then quite honestly, they will be added to the "good businesses, gone bad" death throe ballet.

First is a company called Dermaglow owned by VitalScience Corp. The company makes a brand of cosmetic products which I found to be quite good. After using a line of their anti-aging creams I did find my skin to be in better shape, and as such I made a subsequent purchase of the "Anti-Gravity Cream." Ok, I know it doesn't truly defy gravity (I do have a science degree after all), but it was as good, if not better, than other products I had used before. When I bought my second tube of the product (yes I need a lot of anti-gravity action these days) the packaging had changed and instead of a pump, it was a squeeze tube, with a little foil cover to keep the product in the tube. When I took this cover off, half of the cream started spewing out, reminiscent of any of several I Love Lucy episodes. So I sent an email through Dermaglow's web and waited a week but alas, no response. So I called the customer care line and spoke to a nice woman by name of Sarah, who said she would call me back, because she was not empowered to do anything and needed to check with the "lady" who is responsible -- not many, just one, which is also somewhat disconcerting.

Now this is where it gets interesting. Sarah called me back a couple of days later, quite excited in fact, that she has gotten a return authorization from this one "lady" and then the stupidity started. I was told that I would need to send this product (which costs in the realm of $60) back, AT MY COST, because they wanted to test the product and when they got it, they would send me a replacement.

When I pointed out that this would mean that I would pay over a 10% premium on the product -- because of course I wouldn't be able to send it just by regular mail, it would have to be traceable -- I was told that this was the Policy in how they deal with returns. I pointed out that I had gotten faulty product so why should I get penalized and pay extra for the "privilege?" of using their product. Sarah was nice, she said I made a lot of good points, but she was hampered because she was not empowered to do anything, it had to go back to this anonymous "lady" before anything could be resolved. I indicated that I wouldn't return the product on my dime and in the case of future purchases of their line...well I wouldn't make any. Sarah said she would get back to me, that was over a week ago. Ergo, why I am naming them -- stupidity should not go unpunished.

Which brings me to my second encounter. It was with Leon's furniture. I went in looking for some furniture and saw something that was on sale which I thought had potential. The salesperson suggested I put a $50 deposit on it, so that I wasn't at risk of it selling out -- a reasonable thought. So I plunked down via debit the $50 deposit. Once I got home I realized that the item would not match the decor, so the next day, I drove back to the store, to cancel the order and get my $50 back. Alas, once again, stupidity reigns supreme. You see if I had made the deposit on my credit card, they could have reversed the charge right there, but as it was via a debit card, they needed to send in the cancellation to head office, for them to authorize, print and then send me a cheque for that amount. Huh? I spent sometime chatting with the customer service folk at the counter and they said they had no way of returning the money any other way.

So not only have they annoyed a client (who will never darken their doorway again), but they are also incurring huge costs for this silly way of returning a deposit. (I would estimate that at minimum the cost for doing this to the company was in the realm of $150 - $200)

It makes you wonder, who in an organization is  considering what the client experience, particularly when there is a problem? I have always found it quite interesting watching any of the Undercover Boss episodes where the CEO says "gee I didn't know that." Well if you don't mr/ms. CEO then you haven't set up your organizational construct up correctly. The key premise for all companies should be if it doesn't add value to the customer experience and/or takes away from customer satisfaction then it should be revised or dropped.

That is if a company wishes to survive.